That thing flying in the air? No, it's not a Lilliputian helicopter — it's one of the tiniest drones in existence.
Marketed as the "world's smallest quadcopter" and approved by the FAA, the drone clocks in at two centimeters in height and three centimeters in width.
The creator of the Aerius is Axis Drones, based in Rochester, New York. While the Aerius may seem more like a novelty item, Axis proposes otherwise, hailing it as a "quadcopter and controller that will allow you to have fun and practice full flight mechanics everywhere you go" — almost like a starter kit drone.
It also has another advantage: it's tiny enough to fly indoors, without the hazard of possible property damage.
But if you do take the Aerius outdoors, don't expect a lot of long-distance flying: the Aerius can only fly for five to seven minutes at a time after a full 15-minute battery charge.
As for the inspiration behind the drone? According to the Axis Drones website, it's pretty simple (and pretty hilarious):
"During the summer of 2014, a rogue drone was spotted flying around our neighborhood at night (inappropriately). We tried to chase it, knock it down, spray it with a hose, but we had no luck. Then Robert [Morrison, founder and CEO] had an idea, "What if we launch a squadron of tiny little drones to attack it and bring it down?" We ordered a bunch of CX-10 drones and learned to fly, but never got the chance to launch our attack."
Learn more about the Aerius and Axis Drones in the video below.
